Panama’s Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino, announced recently that the country will spend at least $16 million dollars on four UAS to monitor drug trafficking. With operating costs, the total bill could reach $93 million in the first year.
The U.S. manufactured unmanned aircraft, valued at around $4 million each, are included in the ministry’s $300 million budget. The monthly cost of operating each machine is $1.6 million. Mulino added that these aircraft were used in Panama in a pilot programme paid for by the U.S. government between August and October 2010 last year. The flights originated from the aero-naval base at the Tocumen International Airport cargo terminal.